Printer, method of operating printer, and substrate handling mechanism

ABSTRACT

A printer includes a substrate support, a printhead assembly, first and second actuators, and a controller. The printhead assembly deposits material on a substrate supported on the substrate support. The first actuator is disposed at a side of the substrate support and coupled to a first linear track disposed along the side of the substrate support and oriented in a first direction. The second actuator is disposed at an end of the substrate support and coupled to a second linear track disposed along the end of the substrate support and oriented in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first and second actuators are positioned to engage with the substrate simultaneously. The controller moves the first and second actuators together to rotate the substrate.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/663,778, filed May 17, 2022, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 17/248,656, filed Feb. 2, 2021, now U.S. Pat. No.11,364,731, issued Jun. 21, 2022, which claims the benefit of the U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/969,218, filed Feb. 3, 2020, the entiredisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD

Embodiments of the present application generally relate to inkjetprinting systems. Specifically, methods, systems and/or apparatuses forhandling substrates in inkjet printing systems are described.

BACKGROUND

Inkjet printing is common, both in office and home printers and inindustrial scale printers used for fabricating displays, printing largescale written materials, adding material to manufactured articles suchas PCBs, and constructing biological articles such as tissues.Commercial, industrial and/or consumer inkjet printers use dispensers toapply print material to a substrate. The dispenser ejects a controlledquantity of print material toward a substrate at a controlled time andrate so that the print material arrives at the substrate in a targetlocation and makes a printed feature having a desired size and shape. Insome situations, the print material is to be ejected toward thesubstrate while the substrate is in one orientation, whereas in othersituations, the print material is to be ejected toward the substratewhile the substrate is in a different orientation. Printing methodsand/or systems for handling substrates in different orientations areproposed in this aspect.

SUMMARY

In at least one embodiment, a printer comprises a substrate support, aholder assembly, a printhead assembly, a first actuator, a secondactuator, and a controller. The holder assembly is movable relative tothe substrate support in a first direction, and configured to hold andtranslate a substrate in the first direction while the substrate isbeing supported on the substrate support. The printhead assembly ismovable relative to the substrate support in a second directiontransverse to the first direction, and configured to deposit a printmaterial on the substrate. The first actuator is movable relative to thesubstrate support in the first direction, and configured to hold a firstportion of the substrate. The second actuator is movable relative to thesubstrate support in the second direction, and configured to hold asecond portion of the substrate. The controller is coupled to the firstactuator and the second actuator, and configured to control the firstactuator and the second actuator to simultaneously move, in the firstdirection and the second direction, respectively, to cause a rotation ofthe substrate, while the substrate is being supported on the substratesupport, from a first orientation associated with a first format to asecond orientation associated with a second format. The first format isone of a portrait format, having a length in the first direction and awidth in the second direction, and a landscape format having the widthin the first direction and the length in the second direction. Thesecond format is the other of the portrait format and the landscapeformat.

In a method of handling a substrate in a printer in accordance with atleast one embodiment, a substrate is supported on a substrate support.The substrate is rotated by holding a first portion of the substrate bya first end-effector of a first actuator, holding a second portion ofthe substrate by a second end-effector of a second actuator, andsimultaneously moving the first actuator in a first direction and thesecond actuator in a second direction transverse to the first direction,to cause a rotation of the substrate from a first orientation associatedwith a first format to a second orientation associated with a secondformat. The first format is one of a portrait format, having a length inthe first direction and a width in the second direction, and a landscapeformat having the width in the first direction and the length in thesecond direction. The second format is the other of the portrait formatand the landscape format. The first end-effector is rotatable about afirst rotational axis. The second end-effector is rotatable about asecond rotational axis different from the first rotational axis. Duringthe rotation of the substrate, the first and second end-effectors arerotated together with the substrate about the first and secondrotational axes, respectively.

In at least one embodiment, a substrate handling mechanism for a printercomprises a first actuator, a second actuator, and a controller. Thefirst actuator is movable relative to a substrate support in a firstdirection. The second actuator is movable relative to the substratesupport in a second direction transverse to the first direction. Thecontroller is coupled to the first actuator and the second actuator, andconfigured to control the first actuator and the second actuator tosimultaneously move, in the first direction and the second direction,respectively. At least one of the first actuator or the second actuatorcomprises: a carriage, and arm, and an end-effector. The carriage iscoupled to and movable along a rail which extends along the substratesupport in the corresponding first or second direction. The arm extendsfrom the carriage toward the substrate support. The end-effector ispivotably coupled to an end of the arm to be freely rotatable during thesimultaneous movement of the first actuator and the second actuator.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a printer.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a printer in accordance with at leastone embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a schematic top view of a part of a printer in accordancewith at least one alternative embodiment.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3C, 3D and 3E are schematic top views of a part of aprinter at various stages of a substrate rotating operation, inaccordance with at least one embodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views, and FIG. 4C is a schematic rearview, of various parts of a printer, in accordance with at least oneembodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are elevational side views of a part of a printerlooking in a first direction and a second direction, respectively, inaccordance with at least one embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method of handling a substrate in a printer,in accordance with at least one embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a controller, in accordance with at leastone embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components, values, operations, materials,arrangements, etc., are described below to simplify the presentdisclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intendedto be limiting. Other components, values, operations, materials,arrangements, etc., are contemplated. For example, the presentdisclosure may repeat reference numerals and/or letters in the variousexamples. This repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarityand does not in itself dictate a relationship between the variousembodiments and/or configurations discussed. Further, spatially relativeterms, such as “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper” and thelike, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one elementor feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) asillustrated in the figures. The spatially relative terms are intended toencompass different orientations of the device in use or operation inaddition to the orientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus maybe otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) andthe spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise beinterpreted accordingly.

FIG. 1 is a top isometric view of a printer 100. The printer 100 has atable 102, a print assembly 104, and a holder assembly 106 formanipulating a substrate for printing. The printer 100 is founded upon abase 108, which is in one example a massive object to minimize vibratorytransmissions to the operative parts of the printer 100. In one example,the base 108 is a granite block. The table 102 is located upon the base108, and comprises a support surface 110 along with a device for makingthe support surface 110 substantially frictionless. In one example, thesupport surface 110 provides a gas cushion on which the substratefloats. The support surface 110 features a first plurality of holes 112that allow jets of gas to exit, thus providing an upward force tomaintain a substrate at a desired elevation above the support surface110. The support surface 110 may also have a second plurality of holesconfigured to allow controlled withdrawal of gas from the gas cushionfloating the substrate to provide precise local control of substrateelevation.

The print assembly 104 comprises a dispenser assembly 114 disposed on aprint support 116. The print support 116 is disposed in relation to thetable 102 to provide access for the dispenser assembly 114 to positionconstructively in relation to a substrate on the table 102 to preciselyapply print material to the substrate. The print support 116 includes arail or beam 117 that traverses the table 102, allowing the dispenserassembly 114 to traverse the table 102 and deposit print material at anylocation on the substrate from one side of the print support 116 to theopposite side thereof. In one example, the print support 116 is attachedto the base 108 and extends from the base 108 to provide stable supportfor the dispenser assembly 114. Two stands 120 extend from the base 108,on opposite sides of the table 102, to the rail 117, which extendsacross the table 102. In one example, the stands 120 and the rail 117are both made of the same material as the base 108. In one example, thestands 120, the rail 117, and the base 108 are separate pieces ofgranite that are bolted together.

The dispenser assembly 114 includes at least one printhead assembly 119along with a print assembly controller 118 that includes electronicsand/or sensors for controlling the functional parameters of theprinthead assembly 119 such as location of the printhead assembly 119along the print support 116, timing, duration, type of print material,and dispensing profile. The printhead assembly 119 is movable along therail 117 of the print support 116 by operation of a print carriage 122that couples with the print support 116 to translate the printheadassembly 119 along the rail 117 from one end of the rail 117 to theother opposite end. In one example, the print carriage 122 is driven bya motor or a servomotor. Power and signal conduits are not shown tosimplify the figure.

A substrate (not shown in FIG. 1 ) is positioned under the printassembly 104 by the holder assembly 106. The substrate may be a rigidsubstrate made of, for example, glass. The holder assembly 106 acquiressecure contact with the substrate upon loading, and moves or translatesthe substrate along the table 102 to position the substrate with respectto the print assembly 104 for dispensing print material onto thesubstrate in a precise fashion. The holder assembly 106 is located onone side of the table 102 and extends along the table 102 in a firstdirection to translate the substrate in the first direction duringprinting. The first direction is denoted in FIG. 1 by arrow 124. Thefirst direction 124 is referred to as the “Y direction”. The printheadassembly 119 moves in a second direction substantially transverse to thefirst direction, guided by the rail 117 which extends substantially inthe second direction denoted in FIG. 1 by arrow 126. The seconddirection 126 is referred to as the “X direction” and the rail 117 asthe “X beam.” A third direction substantially transverse to the firstand second directions is denoted in FIG. 1 by arrow 125. The thirddirection 125 is referred to as the “Z direction.” The X, Y and Zdirections are directions of axes of a coordinate system serving as aframe of reference of the printer 100, as illustrated by the arrows 124,125, and 126. In one example, the origin of the coordinate system is ata fixed point, e.g., associated with the base 108.

The holder assembly 106 is disposed on a holder assembly support 128,which in one example is a rail that extends in the first direction alongan edge 130 of the table 102. In one example, the holder assemblysupport 128 is attached, for example bolted, to the base 108 to providestable support for the holder assembly 106. In one example, the holderassembly support 128 is made from the same material as the base 108. Theholder assembly support 128 is sometimes referred to as the “Y beam.”The holder assembly 106 securely holds the substrate, for example, byvacuum or suction force, applied through a plurality of holes of theholder assembly 106, to a plurality of corresponding locations along anedge of the substrate. The vacuum or suction force may be applied to thetop side, or the bottom side, or both, of the edge of the substrate. Theholder assembly 106 moves along the holder assembly support 128 duringoperation to position the securely held substrate at any location on thetable 102, and the print assembly 104, for example by operation of theprint assembly controller 118, positions the printhead assembly 119 toprovide access to a precise location on the substrate for dispensingprint material.

In the example configuration described above, the holder assembly 106 isdepicted as moving the substrate in the first direction 124 while thedispenser assembly 114 moves in the second direction 126 to access alldesired portions of the substrate. In other configurations, thedispenser assembly moves in the first and second directions while thesubstrate is held stationary. In other configurations, the dispenserassembly is held stationary while the substrate is moved in the firstand second directions 124 and 126. In still other configurations, theholder assembly and the dispenser assembly both move in the first andsecond directions 124 and 126. Where the areal coverage of the dispenserassembly is different from the area of the substrate desired forprinting, the dispenser assembly and the substrate are relatively movedto accomplish the complete print job.

A system controller 129 receives signals from various sensors deployedthroughout the printer 100 and sends signals to various components ofthe printer 100 to control printing. The system controller 129 isoperationally coupled, for example, via a network, to the print assemblycontroller 118 and to a holder assembly controller 131, which controlsoperation of the holder assembly 106. One or more of the table 102, theprint assembly 104, the holder assembly 106, and other ancillarysystems, such as environment control and materials management systems,have sensors operatively coupled to the system controller 129 totransmit signals to the system controller 129 related to the status ofvarious components during a printing operation. The system controller129 includes data and instructions to determine control signals to sendto various controlled components of the printer 100. In at least oneembodiment, two or more of the system controller 129, the print assemblycontroller 118 and the holder assembly controller 131 are integratedinto a single controller. In at least one embodiment, at least one ofthe system controller 129, the print assembly controller 118 and theholder assembly controller 131 is implemented as several controllersdistributed in the printer 100 and connected one with another via anetwork. An example configuration of a controller in accordance with atleast one embodiment is described with respect to FIG. 7 . Forsimplicity, in the description below, “controller” refers to any one ormore of controllers in the printer 100 and/or any one or more ofcontrollers in a printing system using the printer 100.

In some cases, a particular substrate may have a particular orientationthat is most advantageous for performing the designed print job on thesubstrate. For example, sometimes a substrate is advantageouslyprocessed in the “portrait” format, where the substrate is inserted intothe printer in a direction parallel to the long dimension (or length) ofthe substrate, while at other times the substrate is advantageouslyprocessed in the “landscape” format, where the substrate is insertedinto the printer in a direction parallel to the short dimension (orwidth) of the substrate. While the printer 100 is capable of handlingand performing deposition of print material on substrates in bothorientations, i.e., associated with both the landscape format andportrait format, use of other chambers or equipment for post-depositionprocessing (also referred to herein as post-processing), that supportonly one orientation frequently requires multiple rotations of thesubstrate between the deposition process and the post-process, at leastwhere different orientations are needed for the two processes. Incomplex printing systems including several printers, rotation of thesubstrate between deposition and post-processing can become undesiredwhere the two processes need different substrate orientations.

In this aspect, a substrate handling mechanism is described herein forrotating a substrate in situ in a printer. In some embodiments, thesubstrate handling mechanism includes two actuators holding differentportions of the substrate and moving in two different directionstransverse to each other, while the substrate is being supported by asubstrate support in the printer. As a result, it is possible to rotatethe substrate in situ in the printer, without requiring a separatechamber or equipment for substrate rotation. Further, a substraterotated to a landscape orientation for print material deposition may berotated again, before unloading, back to a portrait orientation forpost-processing. This arrangement saves time and increases productivitycompared to other approaches where a separate rotation chamber isrequired before and/or after the printer to rotate a substrate into adesired orientation for print material deposition and/or to rotate asubstrate with print material deposited thereon into a desiredorientation for post-processing. In this disclosure, references to“portrait orientation” and “landscape orientation” should be understoodas referring to an orientation that corresponds to the portrait formatand the landscape format, respectively. In this sense, a “portraitorientation” is a substrate orientation that enables processing thesubstrate in the portrait format and a “landscape orientation” is asubstrate orientation that enables processing the substrate in thelandscape format.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of a printer 200 in accordance with atleast one embodiment. The printer 200 comprises various componentssimilar to those of the printer 100. Some of such components areindicated by the same reference numerals in FIG. 2 , while othercomponents are omitted from FIG. 2 to simplify the figure. Compared tothe printer 100, the printer 200 comprises a substrate support 260 whichincludes not only the table 102, but also at least one extensionincluding a first extension 264 and/or a second extension 266. Theprinter 200 additionally comprises a substrate handling mechanism 210for rotating a substrate 220. The substrate handling mechanism 210comprises a first actuator 230, a second actuator 240, an auxiliaryactuator 250, and a controller 270.

The first actuator 230 is schematically indicated in FIG. 2 . The firstactuator 230 is movable relative to the substrate support 260 in a firstdirection (Y direction) and is configured to hold a first portion 221 ofthe substrate 220. In the example configuration in FIG. 2 , the firstactuator 230 comprises a carriage 232 coupled to and movable along arail (also referred to herein as “linear track”) 234, an arm 236extending from the carriage 232 toward the substrate support 260, and anend-effector 238 pivotably coupled to a distal end of the arm 236. Therail 234 is located outside the footprint of the substrate support 260,and extends along the substrate support 260 in the Y direction from aposition adjacent the rail 117 toward an outfeed end or side of thetable 102. As opposed to an infeed end or side (indicated by the label“INFEED” in the drawings) where the substrate 220 is delivered to thetable 102, the outfeed end or side (indicated by the label “OUTFEED” inthe drawings) is where the substrate 220 emerges after a translationalmovement caused by the holder assembly 106, along the Y direction, fromthe infeed end and passing under the rail 117. The rail 234 ispositioned, in the X direction, opposite the substrate support 260across the holder assembly 106. In other words, the holder assembly 106is located, in the X direction, between the rail 234 and the substratesupport 260. In one example, the carriage 232 is driven by a motor or aservomotor (not shown) to travel in the Y direction along the rail 234.The arm 236 extends, in the X direction, from the carriage 232 over theholder assembly 106 such that the distal end of the arm 236 is at aposition above the substrate support 260. The end-effector 238 extendsdownward, in the Z direction, from the distal end of the arm 236 towardthe substrate support 260 as described with respect to FIGS. 4A-4Bbelow. The end-effector 238 is configured to hold, e.g., by vacuum orsuction force, the corresponding first portion 221 of the substrate 220,and to rotate together with the substrate 220 during the rotation of thesubstrate 200, as described with respect to example embodiments in FIGS.3A-3E. More detailed views of example embodiments of the first actuator230 are provided in FIGS. 4A-4C.

The second actuator 240 is schematically indicated in FIG. 2 . Thesecond actuator 240 is movable relative to the substrate support 260 ina second direction (X direction) and is configured to hold a secondportion 222 of the substrate 220. In the example configuration in FIG. 2, the second actuator 240 comprises a carriage 242 coupled to andmovable along a rail 244, an arm 246 extending from the carriage 242toward the substrate support 260, and an end-effector 248 pivotablycoupled to a distal end of the arm 246. The rail 244 located outside thefootprint of the substrate support 260, and extends along the substratesupport 260 in the X direction, adjacent to the outfeed end or side ofthe table 102. In one example, the carriage 242 is driven by a motor ora servomotor (not shown) to travel in the X direction along the rail244. The arm 246 extends, in the Y direction, from the carriage 242toward the substrate support 260 such that the distal end of the arm 246can be located at a position above the substrate support 260. Theend-effector 248 extends downward, in the Z direction, from the distalend of the arm 246 toward the substrate support 260 as described withrespect to FIG. 4A below. The end-effector 248 is configured to hold,e.g., by vacuum or suction force, the corresponding second portion 222of the substrate 220, and to rotate together with the substrate 220during the rotation of the substrate 200, as described with respect toexample embodiments in FIGS. 3A-3E. More detailed views of exampleembodiments of the second actuator 240 are provided in FIG. 4A. Thedescribed configuration of the first actuator 230 and/or the secondactuator 240 is an example, and other configurations are within thescopes of various embodiments. For example, instead of being moveablealong a rail, the first actuator 230 or the second actuator 240 may bearranged on a rod that is extended from and retracted into a cylinderstructure.

The auxiliary actuator 250 is schematically indicated in FIG. 2 . Theauxiliary actuator 250 is configured to move the second actuator 240 inthe Y direction. In the example configuration in FIG. 2 , the auxiliaryactuator 250 comprises a carriage 252 coupled to and movable along arail 254A of a pair of parallel rails 254A and 254B. The rails 254A and254B extend from a position adjacent the outfeed end of the table 102and away from the substrate support 260 in the Y direction. The rail254A is closer to the rail 234 of the first actuator 230 than the rail254B. The carriage 252 is coupled to an end 284A of the rail 244 of thesecond actuator 240 that is closer to the first actuator 230. The otherend 284B of the rail 244, that is further from the first actuator 230,is supported from below by, and movable along, the other rail 254B. Inone example, the carriage 252 coupled to the end 284A of the rail 244 isdriven by a motor or a servomotor (not shown) to travel along the rail254A, causing the other end 284B of the rail 244 to move concurrently onand long the other rail 254B. As result, the second actuator 240 ismoved in the Y direction toward or away from the substrate support 260,before and/or after the rotation of the substrate 200, as describedherein. In at least one embodiment, the auxiliary actuator 250 isomitted.

FIG. 2A is a schematic top view of a part including the second actuator240 and the auxiliary actuator 250 of the printer 200, in accordancewith at least one alternative embodiment. In the example configurationin FIG. 2A, the rails 254A, 254B and 244 are integrated into a singlestructure. In other words, unlike the configuration in FIG. 2 where therail 244 is movable along the rails 254A, 254B, the rail 244 in FIG. 2Ais fixed to the rail 254A, 254B. The carriage 242 in FIG. 2A is stillmovable in the X direction along the rail 244 as in FIG. 2 . However,the movement in the Y direction is achieved in FIG. 2A, not by movingthe rail 244 along the rails 254A, 254B as in FIG. 2 , but by a rod 245which telescopically extends from and retracts into a cavity (not shown)of the carriage 242. For example, the rod 245 is in an extended state onthe left side of FIG. 2A, and is in a retracted state on the right sideof FIG. 2A. The extended state of the rod 245 corresponds to a statedescribed herein with respect to FIG. 3A where the end-effector 248carried by a head 246A at an end of the rod 245 starts to engage withthe portion 222 of the substrate 220 before a rotation of the substrate220. The rod 245 then retracts to the retracted state to move thesubstrate 220 to a position corresponding to FIG. 3B. The rod 245remains in the retracted state while the carriage 242 moves along therail 244 during the rotation of the substrate 220, as described withrespect to FIGS. 3B-3D. The rod 245 then extends again to the extendedstate after the rotation of the substrate 220 to move the substrate 220to a position corresponding to FIG. 3E.

Returning to FIG. 2 , the substrate support 260 is configured to supportthe substrate 220, at the table 102, during translational movements ofthe substrate 220 along the Y direction. The substrate support 260 isfurther configured to support the substrate 220, at a main section 262,first extension 264 and second extension 266, during the rotation of thesubstrate 220. The main section 262 is a part of the table 102 that islocated at an outfeed end of the table 102. The main section 262 isrectangular in shape, and has sufficient length and width to fullysupport the substrate 220 in any of the landscape orientation and theportrait orientation. The first extension 264 is adjacent, in the Xdirection, to the main section 262. The first extension 264 has a sizeand/or a shape sufficient to fully support a third portion 223 of thesubstrate 220 during the rotation of the substrate 220, as describedherein. For this purpose, the first extension 264 in the exampleconfiguration in FIG. 2 has a curved and/or slanted edge correspondingto a trajectory of the corresponding corner of the substrate 220 in thethird portion 223. However, the described configuration of the firstextension 264 is an example, and other configurations are within thescopes of various embodiments. For example, the first extension 264 mayhave a rectangular shape elongated in the Y direction. The secondextension 266 is adjacent, in the Y direction, to the main section 262.The second extension 266 is rectangular in shape, is elongated in the Xdirection, and has a length in the X direction substantially the same asthe width of the main section 262. The second extension 266 has asufficient size to fully support the second portion 222 of the substrate220 during the rotation of the substrate 220, as described herein. Thesecond extension 266 is further configured to fully support the thirdportion 223 of the substrate 220 before the rotation, and the firstportion 221 of the substrate 220 after the rotation, as furtherdescribed below.

Similar to the main section 262 which is part of the table 102, thefirst extension 264 and second extension 266 include a plurality ofholes that allow jets of gas to exit to provide an upward force tomaintain the substrate 220 floating at a desired elevation, at leastduring the rotation of the substrate 220. The first extension 264 andsecond extension 266 may also have a plurality of gas jet holesconfigured to allow controlled withdrawal of gas from the gas cushionfloating the substrate 220 to provide precise local control of substrateelevation, at least during the rotation of the substrate 220. In atleast one embodiment, the gas cushion over the first extension 264and/or the second extension 266 is generated and/or controlled by thesame gas source and/or controller that generates and/or controls the gascushion over the main section 262 of the table 102. Therefore, a uniformsubstantially frictionless support of the substrate 220 is achievableduring the rotation of the substrate 220. Any one or both of the firstextension 264 and second extension 266 may be formed separately from thetable 102. For example, both the first extension 264 and the secondextension 266 may be formed separately and installed adjacent and inaddition to the outfeed end of the table 102 of an existing printer toprovide the existing printer with an in situ substrate rotationcapability as described herein. Further, any one or both of the firstextension 264 and second extension 266 may be an integral part of thetable 102. For example, when an existing printer has a sufficiently longtable 102 the outfeed end of which can function as both the main section262 and the second extension 266, only the first extension 264 is neededto be installed adjacent and in addition to the outfeed end of the table102 to provide the existing printer with an in situ substrate rotationcapability as described herein. For another example, both the firstextension 264 and the second extension 266 may be formed as integralparts of the table 102.

The controller 270 is coupled to the first actuator 230, second actuator240 and auxiliary actuator 250 to control operation of the actuators,including, but not limited to, movements of the actuators individuallyand/or in unison along the respective movement directions, andengagement and/or disengagement of the end-effectors 238, 248 of thefirst actuator 230 and second actuator 240 with/from the respectiveportions 221, 222 of the substrate 220. The controller 270 may also becoupled to a gas source (not shown) and control the gas cushion over thesubstrate support 260. In at least one embodiment, the controller 270 isincorporated in one or more controllers described with respect to FIG. 1. For example, the controller 270 may be incorporated in and implementedby the system controller 129. A substrate rotating operation of thesubstrate handling mechanism 210 in the printer 200 under control of thecontroller 270 is described with respect to FIGS. 3A-3E.

FIGS. 3A-3E are schematic top views of a part of the printer 200 in FIG.2 at various stages in a substrate rotating operation, in accordancewith at least one embodiment. For simplicity, various components of theprinter 200 above (i.e., on the infeed side of) the X beam 117 areomitted in FIGS. 3A-3E. FIG. 3A shows the substrate 220 being held overfrom the holder assembly 106 to the substrate handling mechanism 210 fora substrate rotating operation, FIG. 3B shows the substrate 220 at thebeginning of the substrate rotating operation, FIG. 3C shows thesubstrate 220 during the substrate rotating operation, FIG. 3D shows thesubstrate 220 at the end of the substrate rotating operation, and FIG.3E shows the rotated substrate 220 being held over from the substratehandling mechanism 210 back to the holder assembly 106 after thesubstrate rotating operation. In FIGS. 3A-3E, the substrate rotatingoperation is performed with the configuration of the second actuator 240and the auxiliary actuator 250 as described with respect to FIG. 2 . Thesubstrate rotating operation can also be performed in a similar mannerwith the configuration of the second actuator 240 and the auxiliaryactuator 250 as described with respect to FIG. 2A.

In at least one embodiment, prior to the state in FIG. 3A, the substrate220 is delivered in the portrait orientation to the infeed side of thetable 102 (best seen in FIG. 2 ), e.g., by a robot arm (not shown). Theholder assembly 106 holds the substrate 220, e.g., by vacuum or suctionforce, at a plurality of first locations along a first edge 312 of thesubstrate 220. In FIG. 3A, the substrate is oriented with the first edge312 extending along the Y direction. The first edge 312 connects thefirst portion 221 with the second portion 222 of the substrate 220. Theholder assembly 106 holding the first edge 312 of the substrate 220 isthen moved in the Y direction from the infeed side to the outfeed sideto cause a first translation of the substrate 220.

If the substrate 220, delivered to the printer 200 in portraitorientation, is determined, e.g., by the controller 270, to receiveprint material deposition only in the portrait orientation, no rotationof the substrate 220 is required. Print material is deposited, from theprinthead assembly 119, which moves in the X direction, onto thesubstrate 220 while the substrate 220 is translated by the holderassembly 106 in the Y direction. At the end of the first translation ofthe substrate 220 in the Y direction, the print material deposition iscompleted, and the holder assembly 106, still holding the first edge 312of the substrate 220, is moved in the Y direction back from the outfeedside to the infeed side. The substrate 220 with the print materialdeposited thereon is picked up, e.g., by a robot arm, from the infeedside of the table 102 for post-processing. Because the substrate was notrotated, the substrate 220 with the print material deposited thereon isstill in the portrait orientation and ready to be handled by subsequentpost-processing chambers and/or equipment which is/are generallyconfigured to handle substrates in the portrait orientation.

If the substrate 220 is determined, e.g., by the controller 270, toreceive at least some print material deposition in the landscapeorientation, a rotation of the substrate 220 from the portraitorientation to the landscape orientation is performed. In an examplewhere only print material deposition in the landscape orientation is tobe performed, print material deposition is not yet performed during thefirst translation of the substrate 220 by the holder assembly 106 fromthe infeed side to the outfeed side. In another example where printmaterial deposition in both the landscape orientation and the portraitorientation is to be performed, some print material deposition in theportrait orientation is performed during the first translation of thesubstrate 220 by the holder assembly 106 from the infeed side to theoutfeed side. At the end of the first translation of the substrate 220,the substrate 220 reaches the state shown in FIG. 3A.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3A, the holder assembly 106 holds atleast a partial length or substantially the entire length of the firstedge 312, and delivers the substrate 220 to the end of the main section262. In this case, the edge 323 of the substrate 220 is delivered by theholder assembly 106 to about the position of the edge 273 which is theboundary between the main section 262 and the second extension 266. Thefirst actuator 230 and the auxiliary actuator 250 are controlled to movein the Y direction to align the end-effector 238 of the first actuator230 and the end-effector 248 of the second actuator 240 with thecorresponding first portion 221 and second portion 222 of the substrate220. For example, a first rotational axis of the end-effector 238 isaligned, e.g., by moving the first actuator 230, to coincide with afirst corner of the substrate 220 in the first portion 221, as describedin more detail with respect to FIG. 4B. Similarly, a second rotationalaxis of the end-effector 248 is aligned, e.g., by moving the secondactuator 240, to coincide with a second corner of the substrate 220 inthe second portion 222. The coordinates of the corners of the substratefor the alignment may be determined from settings taught or entered byan operator into the printer 200. For example, when a substrate of apredetermined size is delivered to the printer 200 at a preset positionon the infeed side of the table 102, the coordinates of the corners ofthe substrate on the infeed side are known from the preset positionwhere the substrate is delivered and from the predetermined size of thesubstrate. From the known coordinates of the corners of the substrate onthe infeed side, and a preset translation movement or distance of theholder assembly 106 holding the substrate, the coordinates of thecorners of the substrate on the outfeed side are determinable.Additionally or alternatively, the coordinates of the corners of thesubstrate on the outfeed side may be detected by a camera using an imageprocessing technique. In a further example, coordinates of a feature onthe substrate having a predefined positional relationship to the cornersof the substrate are determined, in addition to or in lieu of,coordinates of the corners of the substrate. Once the alignment of theend-effector 238 and end-effector 248 with the corresponding firstportion 221 and second portion 222 of the substrate 220 has beencompleted, the end-effector 238 and end-effector 248 are controlled toengage with the corresponding first portion 221 and second portion 222of the substrate 220, as described in more detail with respect to FIG.4B. The holder assembly 106 is controlled to release the first edge 312of the substrate 220, e.g., by stopping vacuum or suction forceapplication to the holder assembly 106, effectively holding over thesubstrate 220 from the holder assembly 106 to the substrate handlingmechanism 210.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the first actuator 230 and the auxiliary actuator250 are next controlled to move or translate the substrate 220 and thesecond actuator 240 in the Y direction from the state in FIG. 3A towardthe outfeed side to the state shown in FIG. 3B. The substrate rotatingoperation can now proceed.

As shown in FIG. 3C, the controller 270 is configured to control thefirst actuator 230 and the second actuator 240 to simultaneously move,in the Y direction and the X direction, respectively, to cause arotation of the substrate 220, while the substrate 220 is beingsupported on the substrate support 260. During the rotation of thesubstrate 220, the first actuator 230 is linearly moved in the Ydirection toward the second actuator 240 or toward the infeed end, forexample, as shown by an arrow 351 in FIG. 3C. Simultaneously, the secondactuator 240 is linearly moved in the X direction away from the firstactuator 230 or away from the holder assembly 106, for example, as shownby an arrow 352 in FIG. 3C. During the simultaneous movements of thefirst actuator 230 and second actuator 240, the end-effector 238 andend-effector 248 are free to rotate together with the substrate 220until the substrate 220 reaches the landscape orientation in FIG. 3D. Inat least one embodiment, the substrate 220 is fully supported by thesubstrate support 260 at all stages of the substrate rotating operation.For example, at the beginning of the substrate rotating operation inFIG. 3B, the first portion 221 and a fourth portion 224 of the substrate220 are supported by the main section 262, and the second portion 222and third portion 223 of the substrate 220 are supported by the secondextension 266. During the substrate rotating operation as exemplified inFIG. 3C, the first portion 221 of the substrate 220 is supported by themain section 262 and then by the second extension 266, the secondportion 222 of the substrate 220 is supported by the second extension266, the third portion 223 of the substrate 220 is supported by thesecond extension 266 then by the first extension 264 and finally by themain section 262, and the fourth portion 224 is supported by the mainsection 262. Upon completion of the substrate rotating operation in FIG.3D, the first portion 221 and second portion 222 of the substrate 220are supported by the second extension 266, and the third portion 223 andfourth portion 224 of the substrate 220 is supported by the main section262. When the substrate 220 reaches the landscape orientation at FIG.3D, the linear movements of the first actuator 230 and second actuator240 are controlled to stop.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the substrate 220 is re-oriented to assume thelandscape orientation at the end of the substrate rotating operation.Specifically, the first edge 312 of the substrate 220 is re-oriented inthe X direction instead of the Y direction as in FIG. 3B. A second edge341 of the substrate 220, which connects the first portion 221 and thefourth portion 224 of the substrate 220 and which was previouslyoriented in the X direction in FIG. 3B, is now re-oriented in the Ydirection in FIG. 3D. The second edge 341 is aligned with at least somevacuum or suction holes of the holder assembly 106 and is ready to beheld by the holder assembly 106. The described alignment of therotational axes of the end-effector 238 and end-effector 248 to coincidewith the corresponding corners of the substrate 220 results in thealignment of the second edge 341 of the substrate 220 along the Ydirection and with the holder assembly 106, without requiringre-alignment following rotation.

As shown in FIG. 3E, at the end of the substrate rotating operation inFIG. 3D, the first actuator 230 and the auxiliary actuator 250 arecontrolled to move or translate the substrate 220 and the secondactuator 240 in the Y direction toward the infeed side to a position inFIG. 3E where at least a partial length or substantially the entirelength of the second edge 341 can be held by the holder assembly 106.Then, the holder assembly 106 is controlled to apply vacuum or suctionforce to hold a partial length or the entire length or substantially theentire length of the second edge 341 of the substrate 220. Thereafter,the end-effector 238 and end-effector 248 can be controlled to disengagefrom the corresponding first portion 221 and second portion 222 of thesubstrate 220, effectively holding over the rotated substrate 220 fromthe substrate handling mechanism 210 back to the holder assembly 106.

Next, the holder assembly 106 holding at least partially the second edge341 translates the substrate 220, now in the landscape orientation, inthe Y direction back toward the infeed side in a second translation ofthe substrate 220. The substrate 220, now in the landscape orientation,is translated by the holder assembly 106 in the Y direction toward theoutfeed side again in a third translation of the substrate 220. Duringthe third translation of the substrate 220, print material is depositedonto the substrate 220 which is in the landscape orientation as desired.At the end of the third translation, the substrate 220 with the printmaterial deposited thereon is rotated by a reversed substrate rotatingoperation from the landscape orientation in FIG. 3D, through a varietyof intermediate states as exemplified in FIG. 3C, back to the portraitorientation in FIG. 3B. The substrate 220 with the print materialdeposited thereon and in the portrait orientation is moved by the holderassembly 106 in a fourth translation along the Y direction back to theinfeed side to be picked up, e.g., by a robot arm, for post-processing.Because the substrate 220, although having the print material depositedthereon when the substrate is in the landscape orientation as desired,is nevertheless discharged from the printer 200 in the portraitorientation, it is ready to be handled by subsequent post-processingchambers and/or equipment which is/are generally configured to handlesubstrates in the portrait orientation. Using a printer with in-siturotation capability avoids the need for a separate chamber or equipmentfor rotating substrates.

The described configuration of the substrate handling mechanism 210 andits substrate rotating operation are examples, and other arrangementsare within the scopes of various embodiments. In an example, although anedge 323 of the substrate 220 that connects the second portion 222 andthird portion 223 is shown in FIGS. 3A-3B to coincide with an edge 274of the second extension 266, it is possible to start the substraterotating operation when the edge 323 is located, in the Y direction,between opposite edges 273 and 274 of the second extension 266. Here,the edge 273 extends in the X direction, is located on the infeed sideof the second extension 266, and defines a boundary between the secondextension 266 and the main section 262. The edge 274 is opposite to theedge 273 in the Y direction, extends in the X direction, and is locatedon the outfeed side of the second extension 266. Likewise, it ispossible to complete the substrate rotating operation with the firstedge 312 of the substrate 220 between opposite edges 273 and 274 of thesecond extension 266, instead of coinciding with the edge 274 of thesecond extension 266 as shown in FIGS. 3D-3E. Alternatively oradditionally, the described movements of the first actuator 230 andauxiliary actuator 250 in unison before or after substrate rotation areto move the substrate 220 already held by the first actuator 230 andsecond actuator 240 to a position that can avoid obstacles during thesubstrate rotation.

In a further example, although it is described that the substrate 220 isdelivered to the printer 200 in the portrait orientation, it is possiblethat the substrate 220 is delivered to the printer 200 in the landscapeorientation. Likewise, although it is described that the substrate 220is discharged from the printer 200 in the portrait orientation, it ispossible that the substrate 220 is discharged from the printer 200 inthe landscape orientation, provided that the post-processing chambersand/or equipment is/are configured to handle substrates in the landscapeorientation. Further, the described multiple passes or translations ofthe substrate 220 in the Y direction are examples, and more or lesspasses in the Y direction are possible and/or print material depositionis possible in any one or more of the passes.

In yet another example, although the substrate handling mechanism 210 isdescribed as being arranged on the outfeed side, it is possible toarrange the substrate handling mechanism 210 on the infeed side. In anexample configuration, the first actuator 230 is still on the same sideas the holder assembly 106 with respect to the table 102, but isarranged on the infeed side of the printer 200. The second actuator 240,auxiliary actuator 250 and substrate support 260 are also arranged onthe infeed side. In this configuration, it is possible to rotate, ifneeded, a substrate as soon as the substrate is delivered at the infeedside of the printer 200.

In a further example, although the printer 200 is described as includingthe first actuator 230 and the holder assembly 106 on the same side ofthe substrate support 260, it is possible to arrange the first actuator230 and the holder assembly 106 on opposite sides of the substratesupport 260. Specifically, the first actuator 230 can be arrangedadjacent to the first extension 264, and the arm 236 can extend in the Xdirection across the entire width of the second extension 266 and themain section 262 to engage the corresponding corner portion 221 of thesubstrate 220.

In another example, although the substrate handling mechanism 210 isdescribed as rotating the substrate 220 counter-clockwise, it ispossible to configure or control the substrate handling mechanism 210 torotate the substrate 220 clockwise, i.e., in the opposite direction fromthe rotation direction shown in FIGS. 3B-3D. For example, the firstactuator 230 and second actuator 240 can initially hold the substrate220 in a state similar to FIG. 3D. Then, the first actuator 230 iscontrolled to move in the Y direction toward the infeed side, and at thesame time, the second actuator 240 is controlled to move in the Xdirection toward the first actuator 230. As a result, the substrate 220is rotated to the state shown in FIG. 3C, and then to the state shown inFIG. 3B.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are perspective views, and FIG. 4C is a schematic rearview, of various parts of the printer 200, in accordance with at leastone embodiment.

FIG. 4A shows example configurations of the first actuator 230 andsecond actuator 240 in greater detail than FIGS. 2 and 3A-3E.Specifically, FIG. 4A shows that each of the first actuator 230 andsecond actuator 240 has a carriage 232, 242 coupled to and movable alonga corresponding rail 234, 244, an arm 236, 246 extending from thecarriage 232, 242 toward the substrate support 260, and an end-effector238, 248 pivotably coupled to a distal end of the corresponding arm,236, 246 and configured to hold the corresponding portion of thesubstrate 220. The arms 236 and 246 are elongated members that generallyhave larger length than width. A first or proximal end 411 of the arm236 is attached to the carriage 232, and a first or proximal end 413 ofthe arm 246 is attached to the carriage 242. The arm 236 extends fromthe carriage 232 toward the substrate support 260 so a second or distalend 415 of the arm 236 is located over the substrate support 260 toaccess the first portion 221 of the substrate 220, when suitablypositioned. The arm 246 extends from the carriage 242 toward thesubstrate support 260 so a second or distal end 417 of the arm 246 islocated over the substrate support 260 to access the second portion 222of the substrate 220, when suitably positioned. The second ends 415, 417of the arms 236, 246 are displaced from the first ends 411, 413 alongthe length of each arm. Here, the two arms 236 and 246 extend indirections perpendicular to each other and to their respective rails 234and 244, but the arms could extend at different angles if desired.

FIG. 4B shows an example configurations of the first actuator 230 ingreater detail than FIG. 4A. Specifically, FIG. 4B shows that theend-effector 238 of the first actuator 230 comprises a base member 431positioned to extend over the substrate support 260, and a plurality ofsuction cups 432. The base member 431 is pivotally coupled to the arm236, at the second end 415 thereof, to be rotatable about a rotationalaxis 436. The rotational axis 436 is near the second end 415 at anoperationally appropriate distance from the second end 415. In FIG. 4B,the substrate 220 is in a state between FIG. 3B and FIG. 3D, i.e.,during a substrate rotating operation.

The base member 431 is coupled to the second end 415 of the arm 236 at afirst end 412 of the base member 431. The suction cups 432 are attachedto the base member 431 at a second end 414 of the base member 431. Thesuction cups 432 are aligned along a longitudinal axis 416 of the basemember 431. The base member 431 is centrally coupled to the arm 236 suchthat the rotational axis 436 is disposed through longitudinal axis 416of the base member 431. The rotational axis 436 could be spaced apartfrom the longitudinal axis 416 of the base member 431. The suction cups432 are attached to a holder 418. The holder 418 is attached to a ridge420 extending along the lower side of the base member 431 in thelongitudinal direction of the base member 431. The holder 418 has anattachment portion 422 that extends away from the ridge 420 toward along edge 424 of the base member 431. The suction cups 432 are attachedto the attachment portion 422 of the holder 418, so the suction cups 432are aligned with the longitudinal axis 416 but spaced apart from thelongitudinal axis 416. The suction cups 432 are uniformly spaced alongthe longitudinal axis 416. The ridge 420 and holder 418 extend partwayalong the underside of the base member 431. An upright member 450 isattached to the other long edge (not numbered in FIG. 4B) of the basemember 431 which is opposite the long edge 424 across the longitudinalaxis 416. The ridge 420 and the holder 418 attached thereto are coupledto the upright member 450 to be movable along the Z direction, asdescribed with respect to FIG. 4C.

FIG. 4C is a schematic rear view of the upright member 450. A front viewof the upright member 450 is visible in FIG. 4B. In the exampleconfiguration in FIG. 4C, the upright member 450 has a slot 458elongated in the Z direction. The ridge 420 has a portion of a reducedwidth (not shown) extending through the slot 458, and movable along theslot 458. The ridge 420 is coupled to an actuator 460, e.g., a motor orservomotor. The actuator 460 is controlled, e.g., by the controller 270,to move the ridge 420, as well as the holder 418 and suction cups 432(best seen in FIG. 4B), up and down in the Z direction along the slot458.

Returning to FIG. 4B, the suction cups 432 are arranged on the undersideof the base member 431 to be offset from the rotational axis 436, andare configured to be lowerable toward and raisable away from thesubstrate support 260, e.g., by the actuator 460 via the ridge 420 andholder 418 as described with respect to FIG. 4C. The suction cups 432have corresponding ports 433 for applying a suction force or vacuum tothe suction cups 432 to cause the suction cups 432 to engage thecorresponding portion of the substrate 220 before substrate rotation.Positive pressure can be applied through the ports 433 to cause thesuction cups 432 to disengage from the corresponding portion of thesubstrate 220 after substrate rotation. A driving member 434 is arrangedon an upper side of the base member 431, and is coupled to a rod 441which is controllably extensible from and retractable into an end 443 ofa cylinder 435. A first pivot 452 is arranged on a top side of the end443 of the cylinder 435. A post 447 is arranged on an upper side of thearm 236. A second pivot 454 is arranged on a top side of the post 447. Abracket 456 is pivotably coupled between the first pivot 452 and thesecond pivot 454, thereby coupling the end 443 of the cylinder 435 andthe post 447. The movement of the rod 441 into or from the cylinder 435is controllable, e.g., by the controller 270. The second actuator 240has similar configuration and/or operation to the first actuator 230,and the description of operation of the first actuator 230 hereinafteris applicable to the second actuator 240.

Before engagement of the suction cups 432 with a substrate 220 for asubstrate rotating operation, the cylinder 435 is controlled to bepressurized, e.g., by a supply of pressurized air from a pressurized airsource, and the rod 441 of the pressurized cylinder 435 pulls (orpushes) the base member 431 to a predetermined homing position where thesuction cups 432 are arranged in the Y direction and directly over theedge 312 of the substrate 220 to be engaged with the suction cups 432.Besides the movement of the base member 431 and the suction cups 432 tothe homing position, there is a further alignment of the first actuator230 with the corresponding portion 221 of the substrate 220. Thealignment of the first actuator 230 with the corresponding portion 221of the substrate 220 can be performed based on the coordinates orpositions of the corners of the substrate 220. The coordinates orpositions of the corners of the substrate 220 can be determined from thesettings of the printer 200, and/or detected by a camera using an imageprocessing technique, as described with respect to FIG. 3A. Based on thedetected coordinates or positions of the corners of the substrate 220,the rotational axis 436 is aligned, e.g., by controllably moving thecarriage 232 along the rail 234 after the base member 431 and thesuction cups 432 have been moved to the homing position, to coincidewith the detected corner 421 of the substrate 220 at the first portion221. As a result of the described movement of the base member 431 andthe suction cups 432 to the homing position and the described alignmentof the rotational axis 436 with the corner 421 of the substrate 220, thesuction cups 432 are aligned with a peripheral, non-print region 437along the edge 312 of the substrate 220. The non-print region 437 iswhere print material is not to be deposited, as opposed to a printregion 438 of the substrate 220 where print material is to be deposited.The non-print region 437 extends along the periphery of the substrate220, and around the print region 438. Sizes and/or positions of thenon-print region 437 with respect to the corners of the substrate 220are included in the settings of the printer 200 for each individualsubstrate 220 and/or for each print job. Upon completion of thealignment, the suction cups 432 are lowered toward the substrate support260 and vacuum or suction force is applied to the ports 433 to causeengagement of the suction cups 432 with an upper surface of thesubstrate 220 along the non-print region 437. The engagement of thesuction cups 432 with the non-print region 437 avoids or reduces damagesto print features existing in or to be deposited on the print region438. Prior to and during the engagement of the suction cups 432 with thenon-print region 437, the holder assembly 106, holds the substrate 220by vacuum or suction force applied, via holes 406 of the holder assembly106, to a lower surface of the substrate 220. In an exampleconfiguration, the holes 406 are arranged in a region of a width of onlya few millimeters along the longitudinal edge (in the Y direction) ofthe holder assembly 106. The non-print region 437 overlaps at least someof the holes 406 before and/or after a substrate rotating operation,e.g., when the substrate 220 is in a state as described with respect toone or more of FIGS. 3A, 3B, 3D, 3E. Upon completion of the engagementof the suction cups 432 of the first actuator 230 with the non-printregion 437 and similar alignment and engagement of suction cups (notshown) of the second actuator 240 with corresponding portions (notshown) of the non-print region 437, the holder assembly 106 iscontrolled to release the substrate 220, by application of positivepressure to the holes 406. As a result, the substrate 220 is held overfrom the housing 110 to the substrate handling mechanism 210 in a stateof FIG. 3A. The first actuator 230 and the auxiliary actuator 250 arethen controlled to move the substrate 220 to a state of FIG. 3B. Then,the cylinder 435 is controlled to be depressurized, e.g., by cutting offthe supply of the pressurized air, and the rod 441 of the depressurizedcylinder 435 is permitted to move freely along the cylinder 435. As aresult, the end-effector 238 is free to rotate together with thesubstrate 220 during a subsequent substrate rotating operation which isperformed by simultaneously moving the first actuator 230 and secondactuator 240 as described herein. Upon completion of the substraterotating operation, e.g., in a state of FIG. 3E, the holder assembly 106is controlled to engage with the substrate 220 along the second edge341. Upon completion of the engagement of the holder assembly 106 withthe second edge 341, vacuum or suction force application to the ports433 is stopped (or positive pressure is applied to the ports 433) torelease the suction cups 432 from the non-print region 437.Subsequently, the suction cups 432 are raised upward to disengage theend-effector 238 from the substrate 220 and to avoid interfering withsubsequent movements of the substrate 220. A similar disengagement isperformed between the suction cups (not shown) of the second actuator240 with the corresponding portions (not shown) of the non-print region437.

In the example configuration described with respect to FIG. 4B, bysimply pressurizing the cylinder 435 to move the base member 431 and thesuction cups 432 to a predetermined homing position, it is possible toeasily place the suction cups 432 in alignment with an edge of asubstrate to be engaged for a substrate rotating operation. Further, bysimply depressurizing the cylinder 435 at the beginning of the substraterotating operation, the end-effector 238 is permitted to freely rotatetogether with the substrate 220 during the substrate rotating operation.As a result, a simple yet effective arrangement for substrate rotationis achievable.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are elevational side views of the outfeed side of theprinter 200, in accordance with at least one embodiment. FIG. 5A is anelevational side view looking in the Y direction, and FIG. 5B is anelevational side view looking in the X direction. In FIG. 5A, the rail234 is attached to a support 534, and the rails 254A, 254B are attachedto supports 554A, 554B, respectively. The supports 534, 554A, 554B haveupper ends attached to the underside of the rails 234, 254A, 254B,respectively. Lower ends of the supports 534, 554A are attached to amounting structure 555A, and a lower end of the mounting structure 554Bis attached or secured to a mounting structure 555B. As best been inFIG. 5B, the mounting structure 555B is attached or secured to the base108. The mounting structure 555A (not shown in FIG. 5B) is similarlyattached or secured to the base 108. In FIG. 5A, the arm 236 of thefirst actuator 230 extends in the X direction from the carriage 232,over the holder assembly 106, to position the end-effector 238 over thesubstrate support 260 (not numbered in FIG. 5A). In FIG. 5B, the arm 246of the second actuator 240 extends in the Y direction from the carriage242, over the rail 254B and rail 254A (not shown in FIG. 5B), toposition the end-effector 248 over the substrate support 260.

In the example configuration in FIGS. 5A and 5B, moving parts where thecarriage 232 rides on the rail 234 and/or where the carriage 242 rideson the rail 244 and/or where the carriage 252 (not numbered in FIGS.5A-5B) rides on the rail 254A are located outside of the footprint ofthe substrate 220 and below the upper surface of the substrate support260 on which the substrate 220 is supported by a gas cushion. As aresult, it is possible in at least one embodiment to minimize thelikelihood that particles generated by the moving parts might impinge onthe surface of the substrate 220.

As described herein, by providing a substrate handling mechanism in aprinter, it is possible to rotate a substrate in situ, without requiringa separate chamber or equipment for substrate rotation. This capabilityreduces total processing time and eliminates the cost and floor space ofa separate rotation chamber and/or equipment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method 600 of handling a substrate in aprinter, in accordance with at least one embodiment. The method 600 maybe performed in any of the printing systems 100, 200 by, or undercontrol of, at least one controller as described herein.

At operation 605, a substrate is supported on a substrate support. Forexample, as described with respect to FIG. 3B, a substrate 220 issupported on a substrate support 260 of a substrate handling mechanism210 in a printer 200.

At operation 615, a first portion of the substrate is held by a firstend-effector of a first actuator, and the first end-effector isrotatable about a first rotational axis. For example, as described withrespect to FIGS. 2, 3A, 3B, 4A and 4B, a first portion 221 of thesubstrate 220 is held by an end-effector 238 of a first actuator 230 ofthe substrate handling mechanism 210. The end-effector 238 is rotatableabout a first rotational axis 436 with respect to an arm 236 of thefirst actuator 230. In an example, the rotational axis 436 is alignedwith a corner 421 of the substrate 220.

At operation 625, a second portion of the substrate is held by a secondend-effector of a second actuator, and the second end-effector isrotatable about a second rotational axis. For example, as described withrespect to FIGS. 2, 2A, 3A, 3B and 4A, a second portion 222 of thesubstrate 220 is held by an end-effector 248 of a second actuator 240 ofthe substrate handling mechanism 210. The end-effector 248 is rotatableabout a second rotational axis with respect to an arm 246 of the secondactuator 240, and, in an example, the second rotational axis of theend-effector 248 is aligned with a second corner of the substrate 220,in a manner similar to that described with respect to the first actuator230.

At operation 635, the first actuator and the second actuator aresimultaneously moved respectively in a first direction and in a seconddirection transverse to the first direction, to cause a rotation of thesubstrate from a first orientation to a second orientation. For example,as described with respect to FIG. 3C, the first actuator 230 and thesecond actuator 240 are simultaneously moved in the Y direction and Xdirection, respectively, to cause a rotation of the substrate 220 fromthe portrait orientation in FIG. 3B to the landscape orientation in FIG.3D. As a result, in situ rotation of substrates in the printer 200 isachievable, with one or more advantages as described herein.

In at least one embodiment, printed products manufactured by thedescribed method and/or printer include, but are not limited to, solarpanels, and flat panel displays such as organic light emitting diode(OLED) displays.

The described methods include example operations, but they are notnecessarily required to be performed in the order shown. Operations maybe added, replaced, changed order, and/or eliminated as appropriate, inaccordance with the spirit and scope of embodiments of the disclosure.Embodiments that combine different features and/or different embodimentsare within the scope of the disclosure and will be apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art after reviewing this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a controller, in accordance with at leastone embodiment. One or more of the units and/or systems and/oroperations described with respect to FIGS. 1-6 is/are realized in atleast one embodiment by one or more controllers 700 of FIG. 7 .

The controller 700 comprises a hardware processor 702, a storage device704 including at least one non-transitory, computer readable storagemedium, a bus 708, an I/O (input/output) interface 710, and a networkinterface 712. The processor 702 is coupled with the storage device 704,the I/O interface 710, and the network interface 712 via the bus 708.The network interface 712 is connectable to a network 714, so that theprocessor 702 and the storage device 704 are communicable with otherdevices via the network 714. The processor 702 is configured to executecomputer program instructions encoded in the storage device 704 and/orto access data stored in the storage device 704 to cause the controller700 to perform one or more functionalities and/or operations describedwith respect to FIGS. 1-6 .

The processor 702 includes one or more of a central processing unit(CPU), a multi-processor, a distributed processing system, anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and/or a suitablehardware processing unit.

The storage device 704 includes one or more of an electronic, magnetic,optical, electromagnetic, infrared, and/or a semiconductor system (orapparatus or device) for storing instructions and/or data in anon-transitory manner. For example, the storage device 704 includes asemiconductor or solid-state memory, a magnetic tape, a removablecomputer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory(ROM), a rigid magnetic disk, and/or an optical disk. As examples ofoptical disks, storage device 704 includes a compact disk-read onlymemory (CD-ROM), a compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W), and/or a digitalvideo disc (DVD).

The I/O interface 710 is circuitry that is connectable with externalcircuitry. For example, the I/O interface 710 includes one or more of akeyboard, keypad, mouse, trackball, trackpad, cursor direction keys,card reader, communication port, display, signal light, printer and/oraudio device for communicating information to/from the processor 702. Inan example, the I/O interface 710 is omitted.

The network interface 712 is circuitry that allows the controller 700 tocommunicate with the network 714, to which one or more other controllersand/or image capturing/processing equipment are connected. For example,the network interface 712 includes one or more of wireless networkinterfaces such as BLUETOOTH, WIFI, WIMAX, GPRS, or WCDMA; or wirednetwork interface such as ETHERNET, USB, or IEEE-1394. In an example,the network interface 712 is omitted.

By being configured to execute some or all of functionalities and/oroperations described with respect to FIGS. 1-6 , the controller 700enables the realization of one or more advantages and/or effectsdescribed with respect to FIGS. 1-6 .

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

1. A printer, comprising: a gas cushion substrate support to support asubstrate above a surface of the substrate support; a printhead assemblyto deposit material on a substrate supported on the substrate support;and a substrate handling mechanism comprising two linear actuatorsconfigured to engage with a substrate disposed on the substrate supportand to rotate the substrate from a first orientation to a secondorientation by moving in two linear perpendicular directions.
 2. Theprinter of claim 1, wherein each of the two linear actuators comprisesan end effector having suction cups to engage with the substrate.
 3. Theprinter of claim 2, wherein each of the two linear actuators comprisesan arm, and the end effector rotatably couples the suction cups to thearm.
 4. The printer of claim 3, further comprising a vacuum holderassembly movable along the side of the substrate support to hold andtranslate a substrate while the substrate is being supported on thesubstrate support.
 5. The printer of claim 4, wherein the first actuatoris movable on a first track extending in a first direction, the secondactuator is movable on a second track extending in a second directionperpendicular to the first direction, and the vacuum holder assembly ismovable in a direction parallel to the first direction.
 6. The printerof claim 5, wherein the printhead assembly is movable in a directionparallel to the second direction.
 7. The printer of claim 5, whereineach of the first track and the second track are located below thesubstrate support.
 8. The printer of claim 1, wherein the gas cushionsubstrate support comprises: a main section having a longitudinal axisin a first direction and a transverse axis in a second directionperpendicular to the first direction; a first extension adjacent, in thefirst direction, to the main section; and a second extension adjacent,in the second direction, to the main section, wherein the main section,the first extension, and the second extension provide a continuous gascushion to support the substrate.
 9. The printer of claim 1, whereineach of the linear actuators comprises an arm that extends toward thesubstrate support and an end-effector coupled to the arm.
 10. Theprinter of claim 9, wherein, for each linear actuator, the end-effectorcomprises a plurality of suction cups and a base member that rotatablycouples the plurality of suction cups to the arm.
 11. The printer ofclaim 10, wherein, for each linear actuator, the base member is coupledto the arm such that a rotational axis of the base member is disposedthrough a longitudinal axis of the arm.
 12. A substrate handlingmechanism for a printer, the substrate handling mechanism comprising: afirst actuator movably coupled to a first linear track extending in afirst direction; a second actuator movably coupled to a second lineartrack extending in a second direction perpendicular to the firstdirection; and a controller coupled to the first actuator and the secondactuator to control the first actuator and the second actuator tosimultaneously move along the respective first and second tracks,wherein each of the first actuator and the second actuator comprises: amovable carriage, an arm extending in a direction perpendicular to therespective linear track, and an end-effector coupled to an end of thearm, the end-effector comprising a plurality of suction cups to engagewith a substrate adjacent to the respective linear tracks, theend-effector rotatably coupling the suction cups to the arm.
 13. Thesubstrate handling mechanism of claim 12, wherein at least one of thefirst actuator and the second actuator has an arm that comprises atelescopic member.
 14. The substrate handling mechanism of claim 12,wherein at least one of the first actuator and the second actuator canmove the end-effector thereof in two dimensions.
 15. The substratehandling mechanism of claim 12, wherein, for each of the first andsecond actuators, the end-effector comprises a base member thatrotatably couples the suction cups to the arm.
 16. The substratehandling mechanism of claim 15, wherein the base member is rotatablycoupled to the arm such that a rotational axis of the base member isdisposed through a longitudinal axis of the arm, and the suction cupsare offset from the rotational axis of the base member.
 17. A method ofhandling a substrate in a printer, the method comprising: supporting arectangular substrate on a gas cushion substrate support; engaging afirst actuator and a second actuator, each actuator having a rotatablemember with suction cups, at adjacent corners of the substrate using thesuction cups; and rotating the substrate on the substrate support bysimultaneously moving the first actuator in a first direction and thesecond actuator in a second direction transverse to the first directionwhile the rotatable members are free to rotate.
 18. The method of claim17, wherein each of the first actuator and the second actuator isconfigured to engage with the substrate at a corner thereof such thatthe rotational axis of each end-effector coincides with the respectivecorner of the substrate.
 19. The method of claim 17, further comprisingengaging the substrate using a holder assembly and using the firstactuator to position the substrate to engage with the holder assembly.20. The method of claim 17, further comprising: using a holder assemblyof the printer to hold the substrate in a first orientation at aplurality of first locations along a first edge of the substrate; movingthe holder assembly holding the first edge of the substrate toward thefirst and second actuators to cause a first translation of thesubstrate; while the holder assembly is engaged with the substrate,engaging the first and second actuators with the substrate; afterengaging the first and second actuators with the substrate, disengagingthe holder assembly from the substrate and performing the rotation ofthe substrate; upon completion of the rotation of the substrate, usingthe holder assembly to hold the substrate in a second orientation at aplurality of second locations along a second edge of the substrate; andmoving the holder assembly holding the second edge of the substrate awayfrom the first and second actuators to cause a second translation of thesubstrate.